2014 YR IN REVIEW & NYE GLAMOUR

My dear Fashionistas!!!

I cannot believe 2014 is over!!!! Where has the year gone? Well for starters, I can tell you this year had a lot of fashion statements and comebacks.

FASHION STATEMENTS
Red being the new black- for Spring
White being the new black- for Fall
Lots of prints- paintbrush strokes, graphics, tropical
Sky high heels
Envelope clutches
High slits
Neon everything
Coloured lipsticks- metallic and bright
Jewelled eyebrows

FASHION COMEBACKS
Nautical
High waist acid wash jeans
Jumpers
Leopard print
Cut-out swimsuit

In my own world this was a year of Action. A lot of things I placed on paper finally came through:
Completed makeup courses with top MUAs in Trinidad and the US (Pinky, Jennifer Bradley etc)
Became a Certified Image Consultant
Got my brand aka my logo
Registered my company A. Nichelle and Co. Image Consulting Services
Launched my website with intro vid

This was only the beginning of my journey. It wasn't easy as during these projects I faced many challenges, obstacles and mountains! But, I kept my head up and on God to give me grace and strength to push through. I persevered and I made it! I look forward to a fresh, brand new year and excited about the numerous opportunities and blessings God has already bestowed. Now to close of 2014 with a bang!

If you don't know, NYE is about glitz and glitter to the max. To glam up for tonight, it's ok to incorporate shiny items in your outfit:

Don't be afraid to shine as you close out the year. Celebrate to the max!!! I wish everyone a safe and Happy New Year celebration and May God continue to bless you. Let's be more positive, kind, loving and forgiving in 2015. THIS IS FASHIONISTA NEWZ!

  Hyper Smash

GIFT GIVING 2014

WELCOME TO DECEMBER 2014!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I love this month 1st of all because it's MY BIRTHDAY MONTH and ofcourse CHRISTMAS!!!! This month reminds me every year that I'm so blessed to be alive to see another year and another Christmas. It is at this time, I reflect on my life; all the good, bad, ugly etc and see what needs to be changed, updated, dropped or welcomed in my life.

Giving a gift to someone is tradition usually done during holidays and birthdays. Ofcourse since the economy took a nose dive, people have cut back on giving or gifts period. So this year, there are a lot of nifty things at affordable pricing to give to someone as a Christmas gift. And well, if you're born in December then most likely your birthday and Christmas gift/s are combined! smh.

FOR THE GALS:
The usual are like mini perfume sets, bath and body sets, make-up, books, wine, jewelry and ofcourse clothes or shoes.

FOR THE GUYS:

Anything techy, games, clothes (like a tshirt, jacket or socks), tickets to a game, nice shoes, a watch.

FOR EVERYBODY:

When you can't figure out what to get or for those that are super picky, nothing beats the joy of giving GIFT CARDS!!!!!!!!!!!

The days before the holidays are busy on the street as everyone shop for any and everything from Christmas trees, gifts etc. Please be careful out there and if you can't afford to buy..why not offer a service. Sometimes giving may not be monetary but your time is just as precious.

As always, have fun and be creative. THIS IS FASHIONISTAS NEWZ!

  Hyper Smash

My Style Wins Charity Event- Nov 2014

I am ever so grateful for opportunities to give back. When you have a business, it is not only about the profits but how others can join or gain in your profits.

I was invited by HouseIt Prod. to do makeup for a charity event in downtown Miami hosted by My Style Wins, a South Florida non-profit org that provides support to mentoring programs and youth groups for girls ages 12-18. (You can see my logo at the bottom as 1 of the sponsors!)

I had 3 models to work on; each having different skin tones and types and the required look was a gold smokey. Ofcourse, like an artist, sometimes your mind and fingers deviate just a bit depending on the person as some colours truly enhances a person's features.

I had an amazing time and just wanted to share with you all with a few untouched, unedited, RAW photos.

 I can't express how much grateful I am and so thankful for these opportunities. I believe all of these are part of God's divine blessings and favor for my life. THIS IS FASHIONISTA NEWZ!


  Hyper Smash

The Oil Boom- Fall 2014

Oil Boom?

What in God's name do you mean? What does oil have to do with fashion or makeup?
Well my dears, there's a lovely trend of using natural oils and serums as facial repair treatments and moisturizers!

I really did't take notice to it but lately I've been seeing a lot about serums to repair environmental wear from your face.  A makeup vlogger I follow was raving about the "Farsali" facial oil and now drug stores are carrying them. I even got a sample from Clinique and because I had no idea what to do with it..it kinda just sits in cupboard amongst all the other facial stuff I use. Now, as I was about to write on another topic, I saw a couple mentions in Cosmo mag about these oils and serums and decided this should be my topic for the week.

Gasp!! What?? How can this be?? Wouldn't this clog my pores?

Well, the use of oils on the face isn't something new. I remember hearing about using vitamin E on the face to clear dark spots, use coconut oil and vitamin A to curtail acne as they have antibacterial functions or use Jojoba oil to moisturize and reduce fine lines and wrinkles. But for me, an acne-prone combination skin person, I wasn't trying to try any of those because for me, oil is a recipe for serious  a breakout session on my face.

However, with age, comes experience and new technology and Cosmo has researched and reported that chemists and scientists have found ways to combine key ingredients to assist in repairing, renewing and rejuvenating your skin without the irritations. Some companies like Skin Inc even custom make serums and oils for you according to your skin type by having you compete a detailed quiz.

So I did try the serum sample from Clinique a couple times and here's what I discovered:
- it truly acts like a moisturizer
- there's not rubbing in like creams..it just absorbs right into your face and neck
- it doesn't feel oily, heavy or dry but more silky
- it didn't clog my pores...I haven't broken out with any rash or pimples
- it truly does what it claims to do (my post acne dark spots have diminished with the few times I used it)

This is an era where LOOKING YOUNGER is super important to us and believe it or not, there are some girls in their late teens and early 20's are implementing botox into their facial care routine. So if you are looking to improve or update your facial care products without using botox to speed up the renewal process or  spending lots of cash on facials, you can continue with your facial creams and maybe add a few serums or oils to your regimen and see if that improves any minor complications or issues you may have with your face.

THIS IS FASHIONISTA NEWZ!

  Hyper Smash

Recreating Poison Ivy - Halloween 2014

Hallo Fashionistas!!!

If you all didn't know by now, I love to dress up, create and recreate things. For a very long time I always wanted to portray the DC Comics supervillainess, Poison Ivy!

She's a very sultry character with outstanding characteristics of fire red hair, red eyebrows, ivy all over her body and green skin. Granted her ability to control plants as an Eco terrorist and use it to her advantage against attackers or other villains...that particular part of her didn't appeal to me; it was more of how can I Nail this look than portray her characteristics.

So I started off my using my old Island People mas carnival costume (bra and underwear which already has leaf-like designs on it), buying rolls of ivy from JoAnn's fabric, boots from the $9.99 store that was on clearance for $5 and a headband to attach the ivy to.

Then next was making sure I had apple red nails, which I used by Wet n Wild, my toes were already pedicured with Gwen Stefani's new Holiday 2014 OPI collection in purple and to achieve the green skin....I used glitter gel and green shimmery eyeshadow. Surely I wasn't airbrushing or painting my skin green...I have sensitive skin.

The part that took the most time was...THE MAKEUP! OMG I researched over 10 makeup vloggers for months to achieve the look I wanted. I didnt want to look evil but yet capture that poison ivy look. So eventually it was a mixture of my own ideas and some of that of the vloggers. 

It took a lot of practice to get RED EYEBROWS and I painted my false eyelashes red, then the eyelook was a gradient effect I chose from vlogger Lil Pumpkinpie05 and lots of contouring. Finished it with Red blush and red lips...woooo..that was A TASK!!!

GREEN SKIN...RIGHT??? LMBOOOO

The red hair I tried with it but...that's the best I could get it since I didnt want to bleach and dye my own hair...so I used temp gels. But overall I think I did a great job!

FULL LOOK AT COSTUME PARTY, MASK

THIS IS FASHIONISTA NEWZ!

  Hyper Smash

Costume-worthy cosmetics 2014

Heyyyyyy Fashionistas!!!!

Guess what's a few days away? Halloween!

I wouldn't say that I celebrate it but I look forward to it as a time to dress up and be something else...like an alter ego/ character.

So let me prepare you with a few buzz worthy items to make your costume just fab!

MAKEUP:

ANASTASIA BEVERLY HILLS TAMANA PALETTE
Whether intense or slightly dramatic, you can work this palette into any costume look....(especially if you are doing an Egyptian look, Arabian queen, Indian bride or Roman goddess).

NYX SIMPLY VAMP LIP CREAM PENCIL
For those deep berry, wine or cherry lip looks, NYX just released these in time for your hallowed-ideas!

URBAN DECAY VICE 3 PALETTE
This speaks for itself; more than enough colours to play with.

ELF VILLAIN PALETTE COLLECTION
Just in case you are not sure what you want to be...ELF COSMETICS put together a palette collection fuly loaded with eye shadows, lashes, lipstick etc to give you a complete costumed look. Better yet, they are simply just affordable!

ARDELL COLOURED LASHES
How Awesome is this idea!!! Can't find that coloured mascara for your lashes?? Guess what Ardell has coloured falsies in green, purple, wine and blue. I suggest if you are not portraying a drag-queenish or scary look, then these lashes will give you the natural extension with a flick of colour. I already bought mine..in wine!

NAILS:

GWEN STEFANI HOLIDAY 2014 OPI NAIL POLISH COLLECTION
The deep and or glitter colours are great for your costume. I'm already wearing the deep purple "I Carol About You."

HAIR:

TEMP. HAIR GEL
Ok so your costume calls for blue or green hair and you don't want to actually dye it!!! Then here's a great solution by Manic Panic....temporary hair gel. Very pigmented and gets the job done without the bleaching. I've used this many times and definitely no complaints. Washes out very easy with shampoo!

Hope you have fun dressing up and be safe on the streets especially if you take your kids trick or treating. THIS IS FASHIONISTA NEWZ!

  Hyper Smash

Cosmetic Newbies- FALL 2014!

Hi all!

It's October already and that means 3 things:
1- Halloween is around the corner
2- Thanksgiving is in a month
3- Christmas is in 2 months..waw..literally!

In preparation for these upcoming festivals and holidays, here are a few items to check out. Fall 2014 is still playing with some bright colours but there's still the influence of dark shades and the intro of light, natural makeup looks (soon to blog on). Here are the newbies for Fall 2014:

NEW- BAKED EYESHADOW PALETTES BY BH COSMETICS
I just blogged about leopard print being the dominant style-print for Fall and here comes BH Cosmetics with their brillant idea of creating the "Wild" baked eyeshadow palette. It's a mixture of natural, bright, dark and pastel hues.

Baked eyeshadows are usually shimmery and depending on your skin tone and eyeshape, can be used as a highlight for the eyes or all over the lid.

NEW- MILANI BELLA EYES GEL POWDER EYESHADOWS

I have never been disappointed by Milani as a drugstore brand. As a matter of fact, some drugstores were phasing this line out but all of a sudden, they revamped and relaunched their campaign and my my these new eyeshadows look DA BOMB!

NEW- OPI NORDIC COLLECTION
OPI brings to you a lovely collection of brights, neutrals, glitter and darks to assist you in the fall/winter trend for the 2014!

NEW- RITA ORA 60 SEC RIMMEL LONDON NAIL POLISH COLLECTION
This diva collaborated with Rimmel London to launch her own nail polish line and I must say, I love the creative design and colours for the season!

This fall has some lovely choices of cosmetics that are very affordable. I am an instigator for making yourself feel good and if indulging in newbies is what you feel for....go ahead. You have 1 life to live and live it well and happy.
As always have fun and be creative! THIS IS FASHIONISTA NEWZ!   Hyper Smash

WELCOME FALL TREND REPORT 2014

I've been gabbing about a couple projects I've ventured into for a while so now it's time to get the ins-and-outs for Fall 2014. Regardless if your country doesn't have the season 'fall," in the fashion industry that's a season for a certain style or styles. So below is just an idea of what you can wear for the upcoming months!

SPORTY- varsity bomber jackets, hooded sweat rompers and jumpsuits, jersey dresses

ANIMAL PRINT OVERLOAD- LEOPARD PRINT IN EVERYTHING!

FRINGES

Some of these styles or prints you may already have in your closet so pull them out and wear with CONFIDENCE! If not see which of these you like and treat yourself!

As always, HAVE FUN AND BE CREATIVE. This is FASHIONISTA NEWZ!

www.alloy.com
www.aldoaccessories.com
www.asos.com
www.bodyc.com
www.charlotterusse.com
www.discountwomendressshoes.com
www.forever21.com
www.gojane.com
www.kohls.com
www.loveculture.com
www.lulus.com
www.macys.com
www.makemechic.com
www.topshop.com
www.wetseal.com
www.victoriassecret.com
  Hyper Smash